Bab 130: Chapter 131: A New Round of Questions: Captain America without the Serum
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Just as T'Challa finished his question, the people around him suddenly disappeared.
He found himself standing in a very strange place. It was pitch black all around, but oddly enough, it didn't affect his vision.
However, his sight couldn't grasp the entirety of this place. When he looked around, he saw an endless darkness, as if it had swallowed the entire universe.
But he wasn't alone here. There were six other people with him: Tony Stark (Iron Man), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Thor, Bruce Banner (Hulk), Sam Wilson (Falcon), and James Rhodes (War Machine).
Of these six people, T'Challa only recognized Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. Falcon and War Machine were also future heroes, making a name for themselves, but they were still relatively unknown at this time.
"Sam, it seems you got pulled in too," Steve Rogers said to Sam Wilson as they took in their surroundings.
"Captain, is this the quiz space?" Sam Wilson asked.
"Yes, this is the quiz space," Steve Rogers pointed to the golden-haired Thor. "This is Thor, the legendary God of Thunder."
"It's you!" Thor immediately recognized Sam Wilson. "Nice wings you got there, but your flying speed is a bit slow." Then, Thor's gaze fell on James Rhodes, and he greeted him, "James Rhodes, you almost took care of that annoying guy Stark. Well done!"
"Tony, what's going on?" James Rhodes was completely bewildered and had no idea what was happening. "Who's this guy in a costume with a cape? Is he acting in a play?"
"... " Thor immediately lost interest in talking to James Rhodes. Tony Stark was too sassy; he even influenced his friends.
"In fact, when I gave you the War Machine armor, I considered telling you, but with the military behind you, I took precautions before you entered here," Tony Stark said.
"Now that I'm here, can you tell me why?" James Rhodes asked.
"Mr. Stark, it seems you know where this is. Can you introduce us?" T'Challa also asked. He was completely clueless about this place.
"Stark, who is he?" Thor asked.
"T'Challa," T'Challa introduced himself.
"Never heard of you," Thor replied.
"This is the quiz space, a place where you can see the future..." Tony Stark took on the role of a "guide" for newcomers and briefly explained the situation in the quiz space. Then, he played the previous video for James Rhodes and T'Challa.
"So, that's the reason you gave me the War Machine armor?" After watching the video, James Rhodes remained silent for a long time before asking.
"I didn't want you to really beat me up," Tony Stark shrugged.
"With this quiz space, your palladium poisoning is also solved. Do I still have a chance to beat you up?" James Rhodes said.
"As long as you want to, there's always a chance," Tony Stark asked, "But the question is, do you want to?"
"Every moment," James Rhodes replied.
"You hurt me deeply, you know that?" Tony Stark pretended to look heartbroken.
"Captain, alien invasions, the age of machines, and Thanos – I have to say, these are hard to accept," T'Challa approached Steve Rogers and said to him.
"I had a hard time accepting it at first too, but some of the future events shown in those videos have been verified," Steve Rogers' body slowly floated up. "And the rewards have all been fulfilled. I couldn't fly before."
"Flight, huh?" T'Challa looked up at Steve Rogers. "That's truly an enviable ability."
"T'Challa, right?" Thor approached with his hammer. "Although I can't claim to fully understand the rules of this quiz space pulling people in, this place has never pulled in ordinary people. So, who are you, and why were you brought here?"
With Thor's words, all eyes turned to T'Challa.
This unassuming Black man never appeared in any of the quiz space videos, and he was unheard of in the real world. So, why was he brought into the quiz space?
"It might be related to my other identity," T'Challa didn't hide anything. "In your world, you are superheroes protecting your world, and in my world, Wakanda, I play a similar role."
"I knew it. You're not just a simple rapper," Tony Stark remarked. "So, what's your power? Can you generate electricity, or do you practice magic? Personally, I'd love it if you were a magician. We're currently in need of one."
"I just have some basic combat skills and a suit that's bulletproof," T'Challa replied casually.
"A bulletproof suit?" Bruce Banner speculated. "Made of vibranium, right? It's probably not just bulletproof."
"Dr. Banner, no matter how good your bulletproof suit is, it won't stop you from taking one of your punches," T'Challa said.
"My shield is also made of vibranium," Steve Rogers said. "It's very useful. Thank you for your vibranium."
"Captain!" Steve Rogers' words suddenly reminded Thor of something. He walked up to Steve Rogers and caught Mjolnir as it flew back to him. "I always thought Mjolnir was meant exclusively for me, but the quiz master said you could lift it too. Frankly, I don't believe it."
"I'm curious about that too," Steve Rogers said. "I want to try picking up the hammer."
Thor placed Mjolnir on the ground.
"Although I'm not interested in the hammer, I'm very interested in bringing the concept of the 'right of the first night' to Asgard," Tony Stark interrupted before Steve Rogers could make a move. He stepped forward and grabbed the hammer with both hands.
And just like the situation in the video with the others, no matter how much force Tony Stark exerted, Mjolnir remained motionless.
"What a loss for Asgard," Tony Stark said as he walked away.
"Before Captain, does anyone else want to try?" Thor asked loudly.
Bruce Banner, Sam Wilson, James Rhodes, and T'Challa all remained indifferent.
Steve Rogers reached out and grabbed Mjolnir with one hand, lifting it up effortlessly as if it were a kitten.
"No!!!"
[The quiz is now starting. Please prepare, participants!]
[Question 1: If Captain America, Steve Rogers, hadn't been injected with the Super Soldier Serum, would he still become a superhero?]
[A. Yes]
[B. No]
[Correct answer: 10 years added to lifespan. Incorrect answer: 1 year deducted from lifespan.]
"Life deducted? How will we know if our lifespan is deducted?" T'Challa couldn't help but ask after reading the question.
"When it's deducted, your body will feel empty," Tony Stark said. "If you frequently do something, you'll get used to that empty feeling."
"The rewards are real," Steve Rogers said. "So, it wouldn't make sense for the punishments to be just threats."
"This question is very interesting, completely different from the previous ones," Bruce Banner said. "Because of the quiz space's involvement, the future has changed, but the future shown in the quiz space videos is still a trajectory of events that the quiz space hasn't intervened in. In this sense, the previous videos could also be considered a kind of 'what if.' But those 'what ifs' were for the future, for things that haven't happened yet. However, this question is about a 'what if' for the past, for things that have already happened."
"The future can be changed, but the past cannot," Tony Stark said. "So, the only significance of this question is the reward."
"The main reason Captain became Captain America is his spirit," Sam Wilson said. "When he was still a skinny kid, he would throw himself on a grenade to protect his comrades. With that kind of spirit, Captain could become a superhero even without the serum."
"Bird boy, I can't agree with you on that," Tony Stark directly expressed doubt. "I have no doubt about Captain's spirit, but his enemies aren't like Thor's hammer. They won't bow down to Captain's big shorts just because of his spirit. Without the serum, Captain was so weak that he couldn't even beat an ordinary soldier. What can he do to be a hero? Talk them into submission?"
"I think Stark is right," Bruce Banner said. "Without power and strength, qualities like spirit and character are meaningless. Enemies won't spare you just because you have a good character. If Captain didn't have the serum, he wouldn't even qualify to be a soldier, let alone a hero."
"Stark, Dr. Banner, you're making good points," Steve Rogers spoke up. "Without the serum, maybe I couldn't be a soldier, but I won't stop trying, I won't give up. What's the scariest thing in this world? It's perseverance. Although I may not be very clever in saying this, I choose to believe in myself. I believe I can become a superhero. Just like back then, when I was a weak and skinny kid, everyone advised me to give up, even my best friend said so. And at that time, I really couldn't see any hope, but I still didn't give up, and in the end, I grew up to be Captain America."
"That's exactly what I wanted to say!" Sam Wilson said. "It wasn't Captain America who made Steve Rogers, but Steve Rogers who made Captain America! Captain, you can be Captain America regardless of the serum; you are a hero in your own right."
"I choose option A," Steve Rogers made his choice.
Correct answer! 10 years added to lifespan!
Steve Rogers felt warm all over, a feeling he couldn't put into words. It was just an incredible sensation.
This is also because Steve Rogers is too righteous. If Tony Stark were to describe this feeling, he would accurately describe it as feeling as satisfied as using a great sword for three days and three nights.
"Captain, how do you feel?" Tony Stark asked.
"It's like... having abundant energy," Steve Rogers managed to squeeze out a word.
"Like the abundant energy before going for three days and three nights with a great sword?" Tony Stark said.
"It's like having abundant energy before going into battle," Steve Rogers replied.
"Indeed, it's 'before battle.' Captain, I never thought you'd understand what I meant," Tony Stark said, winking at Steve Rogers.
"When it comes to luck in quizzes, Captain has always been good," Bruce Banner chimed in. "With this time's 10-year lifespan added, all the previous deductions have been compensated, and there's even some remaining."
"Speaking of lifespan, Thor should be the most enviable one," Steve Rogers asked Thor, "Thor, as the mythical god, are you immortal, just like the myths say?"
"We still die," Thor said. "But compared to humans, our lifespans are quite long. Compared to the few decades of humans, it's not much different from being immortal."
"That feels quite unfair. We live a few decades and have to deduct a year from our lifespan, while an immortal like Thor also gets deducted a year!" Tony Stark couldn't help saying.
"Stark, where is there any fairness in this world?" Bruce Banner said. "You were born a billionaire, and money is just a number to you. But do you know how many people starve to death in this world every day? You think Thor's immortality is unfair, but to those who struggle to survive below the poverty line every day, aren't you a form of unfairness as well?"
"Regardless of whether you're a man or a woman, a human or a god, everyone is treated the same—deduct a year for all. In a sense, the quiz space is fair in this way," Sam Wilson said.
At this moment, the lights came on, and the quiz space started playing a video.
At the beginning, a mechanical voice narrated.
"Earth, June 1943."
"The NS army swept through Europe, leaving death and destruction."
"The Allied forces came together to create a new type of soldier, a super soldier."
"At humanity's darkest moment, a skinny kid from Brooklyn became Captain America."
"After turning the tide of World War II, he made sacrifices to restore peace and save the universe."
As the narration played, short video clips appeared on the screen, briefly summarizing Steve Rogers' life.
Steve Rogers remained quite calm, but others like James Rhodes, T'Challa, and Bruce Banner looked at him with admiration, especially Sam Wilson, the Captain America fan, who felt a sense of glory.
Captain America wasn't just Steve Rogers' pride; he was everyone's pride!
"But in another universe, a different choice created another hero."
"Another universe? Parallel universe?" When the lines reached this point, Tony Stark couldn't help but say, "I always thought parallel universes were just a theory."
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[END OF CHAPTER]
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